Behavior Therapy

1
Behavior Therapy
2
Themes

• Individuals seen as products of their experience
• Do not consider human complexity as an indication
  that there are mental structures that make up
  personality
• Do take into account both personal and
  environmental determinants
• Learning can lead to development of practically
  any type of behavior
• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
• Social Modeling
• Deal with current problems and behaviors
• Change can occur without insight into underlying
  dynamics
• Clients are expected to take active roles
• Interventions are individually tailored to fit
  the individuals specific problems and must
  generalize into their everyday lives

3
Process

• Therapist Role
• Consultant in Behavior Change
• Supporter and motivator in process of change
• Resource in clarifying the problem and in
  designing change strategies
• Model of more functional behavior

4
Process

• Goals are to extinguish maladaptive behavior and
  introduce and strengthen adaptive behavior
• Change occurs through three ways of learning
• Respondent Behavior (Classical Conditioning)
• Operant Conditioning
• Social Modeling
• 4 broad categories of problems (see pages 148
  -151 in text)
• Use homework assignments fairly extensively

5
Process

• Dictionary of Behavior Therapy Techniques by
  Bellack Hersen (1987)
• Behavioral Assessment
• Positive Reinforcement
• Token Economies
• Assertiveness Training
• Modeling
• Relaxation Training
• Systematic Desensitization
• Flooding
• Social Skills Training

6
Process

• Self-modification
• Select goals
• Translate goals into target behaviors
• Self-monitoring
• Working out a plan for change
• Evaluating an action plan